Mapletree is best known in Hong Kong for its recent acquisition of Festival Walk from Swire Properties. The leading Asia-focused real estate development, investment and capital management company owns and manages a diverse portfolio of assets in Singapore and across Asia.

'Our staff strength has increased five-fold from 200 in 2002 to over 1,000 today, but we see the need to further increase the number of our overseas staff as Mapletree continues to scale up in Asia,' says Lilian Lee, director of talent management, human resources, Mapletree Investment.

'We are recruiting for various positions in the areas of investment and asset management, development and retail management, as we focus on our strategy to build a portfolio of diversified real estate asset classes and real estate capital management in the region,' she says.

Mapletree's business model combines capital and fund management expertise, as well as real estate development skills, meaning that its recruitment drive will be focusing on dynamic and well-rounded talent who have advanced financial skills and a good grasp of real estate development fundamentals.

Lee says candidates should not be afraid of challenging the status quo, be able to come up with new ideas, and offer fresh perspectives to the business. A drive to excel, creativity and innovation are also essential.

'Good communication skills and the ability to read and write well in English and Cantonese or English and Mandarin are pre-requisites for our positions in Hong Kong and China,' says Lee.

'All new Mapletree employees undergo orientation, on-the-job training, sharing sessions provided by with senior management and development courses. When we bring onboard a new hire, we take note of their potential to [later on] assume higher roles.'